I’m listening to this after my parade through early Spring 1973. April had some of the tightest sets. March was much harder to get passed, because I kept stopping to relive the shows, day after day. 3/24 and 3/26 are some of the best, in my opinion. The former got its day as a Dave’s Pick — number 39. For really all of the shows I’ve listened to, I’ve had to take them into Audacity and change around the stereo channels. I prefer jerry in my left ear, and Bob screaming in my right. It helps in some way for me to pay attention to the music that way. Although here, on 5/26, Jerry is smack in the middle/right. But, I don't mind. Speaking about this show; they’ve picked up some steam, since 4/02/1973, the last show of their Spring tour. Here at the Kezar -- something has audibly changed. If not their sound experience, then the attitude they bring to the stage.

Long story short, I can hear that they’re playing with enthusiasm, which always lends itself to the Music. After Tennessee Jed, Jerry comes on the mike and proclaims, “it feels great to be out here.” ….You see, These are the shows that I wish no longer to speak about and rather imagine myself in the crowd lost through the endless music that I know by Heart.

I’m glad that this show has found its way into the Sun. Because it deserves the respect of your attention, even for a few of the jams (He’s Gone/Truckin/TOO/Eyes/China). If you are looking for their best show - turn away. That’s not what it’s about. If you’re rating each show, I’m happy for you, because you gotta do, what you gotta do. No two ways about it.

Peace ~ Nick.

This was a make-up show, moved from (and combining) two postponed dates at the Cow Palace to Golden Gate Park, by Graham (some reviewers have described memories that are actually from Day on the Green, June '74). Kezar had been the home of the 49ers but suffered from zero parking, so when Candlestick was built it opened up Kezar for shows. It was tough to book, due to evening curfew and decibel limitations, but Graham still followed this show a week later with Zeppelin (also a popular boot), and the Dead played here again during their "disbanded" year. This show gets its popularity from the length (nearly 3½ hours without the intermissions), because it was very well-traded in the B & P age, and because it was, for many of us then, the first (or even only) '73 in our collection! Other '73s didn't have the clarity - even at 5th or 6th gen. It also seems to get accolades merely by Golden Gate Park being proxy to the neighborhood where some of the band briefly resided, during their transition from Palo Alto to Novato/San Rafael. It's a consistent show, though objectively it doesn't have the whopping highlights of some of the other '73s (say, 11/14, 11/30, 12/02, 2/15, or 11/9).

First Set. It takes a while for the long show to check levels and warm up, although still being average '73 (sans the rickety Tennessee Jed). The first notable song is Mexicali, with great tone and solo from Jer, and Bobby nailing the rhythm while singing. Of further note: this is the day Bobby changed "trade the gallows" to "spent my lifetime runnin'". Row Jimmy is likewise inspired and tight with Keith adding a lot. They Love Each Other is way uptempo (compare to 5/11/77!). It has the '73 bridge (dropped when it came back in '76) and, though it's not 6/10 or 10/19, is still great. Playin' s'okay - at least until the sizable Donnaskreech™.

Second Set. Here Comes Sunshine is always welcome, though clunkier than other '73s. El Paso, however, is a raucous version. Jer's bubbling fills totally make it on Beat it on Down the Line-9 and Bobby and Donna sing it polyphonically. You Ain't Woman Enough is the 11th one and much better than the earlier versions. Though the ones from late '73 have Jer on pedal steel, this one instead features a barrelhouse solo from Keith. Box of Rain is a springy version - the '73 arrangement is cool, but this isn't a top one. Keith had just started using a Rhodes; heard here on a solid China>Rider. He's back on piano for a whopping Big River - they do their best, this date, on these short rockers, as evidenced by the rest of the set.

Third Set. Half-Step is average but Me & My Uncle (bottle/jaw) is a unique, lighter version. The next sequence is top stuff. Billy goes octopus through Truckin' and Phil takes his space for Other One, rumbling the cue and, when it doesn't take, throwing down a unique Phil solo - of which there are relatively few, but more in '73/74. Eyes is forward-looking - the kind they would play in '74 after the Wall of Sound was built (this show, they were allowed less than the complete '73 Alembic system). China Doll will show you kids that there was a time when the boys could harmonize. Sugar Mag has some Donnawail but they stay in top form.

1st Set:  C
2nd Set: B
3rd Set:  B-
Overall = 3½ Stars

Highlights:
Mexicali Blues - jawdropping solo/tone; new lyrics
They Love Each Other - way uptempo; has the '73 bridge
El Paso - rockier
Beat it on Down the Line 9 - bubbling polyphony
Big River - Keith strong
Bertha - how it's done
Me & My Uncle - lighter and jazzier than usual
Truckin' - Billy shines
The Other One - Phil pwns and takes it to an interesting, dark, fairy tale conclusion
Eyes of the World - renders its own atmosphere

SOURCES: Charlie and Ashley achieved near-identical results with their respective DAWs, but Miller's 83535 has seamless, pitch-corrected AUD patches for the gaps. We're lucky to have both.
If you rate every Dead show 5 stars, nobody will believe your reviews.
Kochman also covered the same ground well (and good review from doug)
Joshie - Taback AUD source is as noted above

This show is so amazing! I had this show on some XLII's when I was in high school. I have a question. I am wondering if there is a circulating audience recording for this show? How complete is the source that can be herd during the patches on this recording. Every time it fades in I has such great depth. Then when it fades out I kind of wish the SBD didn't fade back in.

Lacking a little lustre for a May '73.

Set 1
The Promised Land starts of with minor tech difficulties. Bob sounds cheesy, and is too up front.
Deal finales with strong Keith and Jerry belting out the lyrics passionately.
Jack Straw is well done, nothing remarkable here.
Tennessee Jed features a super weird jam before the final verse. Not packed with energy, other than that little crescendo.
The Race Is On
Sugaree finishes strongly after a slow, slinking approach.
Mexicali Blues is a much needed injection of energy! Garcia has a different, sassy tone that I enjoyed.
Row Jimmy keeps a nice tempo and deliberance to it.
Looks Like Rain is decent enough, for a song I don't like. It's almost studio like for most of it, though Jerry does take a few chances.
They Love Each Other is fucking great! Jerry is all over solo early, and the tempo is perfect. I wish they had kept it to this tempo in later years. A+ version. Just in time for PITB they really got their act together.
Playing In The Band starts a bit sloppy, but I don't care. Jerry assumes the 1972 tone. The playing is more reminiscent of what we got in the "Grateful Dead Movie". Quite exploratory, while lacking umph. Things pick up before the 12 minute mark, and strangeness ensues, for less than a minute, then back into a spacier place. It settles into a nice little jam, structured, almost somewhere near an MLB, but clearly not MLB. Jerry actually hits PITB themed notes in succession. Keith plays a nice subtle part in the background with an almost euphoric tone.A nice PITB, but not one of the best, it couldn't seem to find its groove. I bailed before Donna ruined it for me.

Set 2
Here Comes Sunshine comes out with a nice tempo and is quite groovy, which may be more of the theme of the show than full. This definitely has more energy than most of the PITB, and seems more cohesive. Sometimes you just need a little intermission I guess.
El Paso, Keith was motivated, a bit overpowering at times (drowning out Garcia). Nice energy though.
Loser is great, with deliberate Jerry. No massive rush to power at the end, but nice Garcia guitar punctuation during the second to final verse.
Beat It On Down The Line ensures energy sustains before...
You Ain't Woman Enough makes me hate Donna even more than ever, which I didn't think was possible.
Box Of Rain was well played, nothing remarkable.
China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider starts off with a nice tempo and a very crisp Bobby riff. Jerry is all over the solos here. When we get to the transition we also get a poor patch. Can't blame the tapers, it was over 4 hours of show! The patch is short and we get a focused jam that builds its way toward the promise of the Train, but slows down instead. The finale jam starts with Bob and Jerry getting fully psychedelic and pushes quickly into X factor territory... out of nowhere into that! It's short, and they end with the final chorus and the unceremonious outro jam.
Big River brings the goods, as usual. Again we achieve X.
Bertha feautures solid Jerry.
Around And Around is exactly what you expect from this era, a powerhouse closing song. Again, Keith might be a litttle overwhelming at times.

Set 3
Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo hits the nail on the opening head of this show.
Me And My Uncle is a further injection of adrenaline before we get to the meat sequence, nice stuff here.
He's Gone> Truckin'> The Other One Jam> Phil And Billy> Bass Solo>Phil And Billy> The Other One> Eyes Of The World> China Doll
Gone is great, nice tempo that keeps things moving along, and then Truckin along!
Energy is just where you want it to be, and with the knowledge this will be heading into TOO, you know it's going to maintain that edge. Garcia provides tons of power and noodles as they continue along. Phil does drop his bombs for us, and it's a great ride to a coming smoking crater. There would be a stop on the ride first, Phil & Billy mostly, with a small Phil only portion. It goes right back into awesome after the solo/duo. Another unfortunate cut, but it's not that bad, just hollow sounding. Around thirteen minutes in it gets really exploratory yet energetic and spring and after the fourteenth minute Jerry flirts with the Tiger. The tiger creeps outside in the bushes, while Keith again hits his euphoric tone, would the listener fall unprepared to the lurking Tiger? The tiger never strikes, and as the music dies into silence...
Eyes strums into the vacant space. Another great Eyes here, no secret about that. The second verse jam features more of that magical two guitar action we tasted momentarily in the end of Rider earlier in the show. This means yet more X Factor.
China Doll rounds out the meat with class.
Sugar Magnolia takes that class and slam dunks it into the trash. Fully blown out, rocking rolling version.

Encore
Casey Jones - YES! No One More Saturday Night!

Overall impressions...
The first set, while it has some great stuff, lacks consistency. The TLEO is the highlight.
The second and third sets are fully enjoyable and engaging. Eyes is a highlight, as are all the "rockers". Truckin is another hilite.

2sweet! huge TLEOther!!! eyes 5star.
china doll, not a "huge" fan, is offthe Charts.
unbevilable we can listen to such clarity.
PNE of 6/22/ 1973 is also amazing

While I think several highly hyped shows (Cornell and Veneta, OR for examples) are not as great as many folks rave, this one does not fall into that category. Overall I prefer the Fall '73 tour to the summer shows, this performance can easily stand up to anything from Oct-Dec. Every song is teriffic, with outstanding versions of Playin', China/Rider, and everything in the 3rd set. Even "small" songs like Around & Around and Big River pack a punch that is often lacking, especially during the post hiatus years. All three sets are worth a listen as there is not a dull momment to be found. And as always, the Miller remaster is dy-no-mite!

One of the greats of an amazing year for the Dead. This may be among their greatest performances. After three sets my head was left spinning. Another one of those shows where it's almost pointless to pick out tunes but for me that uniquely short and beautiful playing and an absolutely gorgeous Eyes are must hears.

I saw several shows in the spring and summer of 1973, the most poignant of which was in Buffalo at the end of March, shortly after Pigpen had died - they did a version of He's Gone that seemed to take on a whole new meaning. And the Casey Jones encore, complete with puffing smoke stack - well...
Anyway, I checked out this Kezar show because of the rave reviews (see below) and, although I can agree with most of the comments, do NOT agree that it was a 5-star performance. The lead guitar in Tennessee Jed ....
Anyway, for a truly standout show, including great bass, great guitars, great piano, great drums - even Donna was outstanding that night - check out the PNE show 1973-06-22 - probably my alltime favourite (ok, so I was chest-up to the stage right in front of Phil at the start, then got dosed with a coupla gals and ended up underneath the stage after the 2nd set until we had to crawl back out because Phil's extended bass solo was too chest-pounding .... ah, those were the days where you could get up close and personal ... anyway, check out that PNE show, which makes this Kezar one pale in comparison .... in my humble opinion ;~o

This is a cracking set. Others here refer to the techie stuff; great recording, well spread stereo guitars etc. Musically, some key standouts are, yes indeed Bobby's guitar work, Keith definitely having a good day - not high enough in the mix for me - DonnaJean in tune not wailing and Phil. This recording is all about Phil. It's incredible, a blanket of ultrabass wizardry. Some tunes to love here? A 'Sugaree' that is so delicate and fragile it is incredibly different to the sloppy blues that the song became, the funkiest, most playful 'They Love Each Other' and a 'Playin'' that for once is far too short. A really great jam. I'm listening to this after a notably shit week and it's putting a smile back on my face. I hope it makes other people smile too.

yeah that buzz is the bass clipping every once in a while but I like hot & steamy like that. The panning IS really awesome and I am reminded, as I listen to this on headphones, that Bob Weir is a phenomenal guitar player. Yes, I said Weir.

I have had at least 5 copies of this since '89, which was well after I quit touring. This sounds great, as always C. Miller's mastering work ios fanbtastic. I saw 92 shows from '82-'93, 90% of them '84-'86. Trust me, ALL of us mid-'80's tour heads love teh work CM does.

This is one of the best shows from one of the best years. great versions of all the classic '73 material. 3 sets in the hot sun at Kezar. The Playin jam about midway through gst interstellar. I agree totally with the reviewr below who commented on the stereo separation. Truckin>Other One Eyes is extraordinary, adding the Eyes really spices up Truckin>Other one whch was common for that time. Stream this one immediately.

what a stacked show, gonna need to set aside part of the day for this one

One or two people have commented on the constant buzzing throughout this show but most people seem not to notice it. I certainly hear it and it's very annoying - it occurs throughout Playin In The Band for example. A relatively minor example of it is at Loser 2.41.

I guess most people are listening to it via loudspeakers where the noise isn't so noticeable. I was listening to it on mp3 travelling on the train this morning and it drove me nuts. I guess it's ok for loudspeaker listening but avoid on headphones unless you've got a fairly high tolerance level for this kind of thing.

This has always been one of my favorites. The reel to reel recording had the guitars panned so that Jerry's guitar is far right, while Bob's is panned far left. I think this stereo seperation helps create the clear and non-cluttered soundscape. I don't know if this was common for the recordings of the period, but I love how it sounds. Turn up your stereo and you'll be immersed! Highest ratings for both music and audio quality.

Excellent sound work, this is THE copy to get, it's probably the top show of 1973 too, and now it's complete.

email me at fieldhouse11277@hotmail.com happy to share with some good listeners.

Fantastic sound Playin in the band!!! Bertha towards the end of set 2? China Cat >Rider (wow) All of set 3 is great, especially Phil solo>Other One>Eyes>China Doll. Don't get much better than this! MUST HAVE THIS ONE!!! Put on your headphones and enjoy!!!

Humdinger of a finger clinger here ...

Yes, Charlie Miller is a good man. Thanks for sharing my favorite drug, killer soundboard Grateful Dead. Crisp, clear and tight. The way I like most things in life. I am a guitarist and it is not easy to play 3 sets as well and with as much energy as these men did in June of 1973. God I wish we could all travel through time, until then this is the next best thing. THANKS!! and peace to all my brothers and sisters, in the DEAD'S name we pray, AMEN.

`

~^|\_@|@_/|^~
~<->/<->\<->~

"This day in GRATEFUL DEAD History"

~Super 73' Soundboard~

Thirty six years ago today, the GRATEFUL DEAD were performing at Kezar Stadium in Golden Gate Park. I couldn't be there, but I showed up today...where were you?

Here's one way to download this show:

The IA recommends users of Windows XP view this web-page with RealPlayer. RealPlayer is a free media player you can download at www.realplayer.com.

For easy streaming or downloading you should use RealPlayer.

Using RealPlayer to view this webpage, click the VBR M3U link to open the songs in the Playlist. If your Playlist is not open, open it by clicking the Playlist icon at the lower right hand corner of RealPlayer. Once the songs are in the Playlist, double click the song to play it, then click the record button at the lower left hand corner of Realplayer to record it. When the red line reaches the other end click the stop button to download the song. Your song is in the RealPlayer Downloads folder. Repeat these steps for each song.

5 Stars for the mix
5 Stars for the recording
5 Stars for the performance
5 Stars for Charlie Miller's hardwork, and taste in GRATEFUL DEAD shows.

It's a Charlie Miller transfer. Mr. Miller has impeccable taste in GRATEFUL DEAD shows and sound quality. I highly recommend you click on Charlie Miller's name and collect all his GRATEFUL DEAD shows.

32 songs performed by the GRATEFUL DEAD.

Thank you Mr. Miller for all your hard work and efforts, we all love you for it.

Charlie Miller is keeping the music and the magic of the GRATEFUL DEAD alive for everyone to enjoy.
God bless Charlie Miller.

Eat, Drink, be Merry and Listen to the GRATEFUL DEAD.

Thanks for the LOVE from 1973.

This is one dream set list. It helps that the list is played with energy and creativity. Everyone is ON for this show and they come through in mix with a clarity not heard in most recordings.

I'll be listening to this one on repeat for a while.

have had tapes of this show for a long time--champions of my collection--got me through a cross-country drive or two, some late night study sessions, and a few other types of late night sessions too! never had the third set though. thanks for putting this up!

I'm all about the energetic performances, and this show is great. Especially 'they love each other', for me, is smoking. A complete no brainer to add to any grateful dead collection.

I rated another version of this show, and there I said it was one of my top 10 all-time personal favorites. How could one improve on a show like this? Well, leave it to Mr. Miller to do his magic and make a great show even greater by tweaking the sound. Jerry is so front and center that he might as well be in your living room playing. Thank you, Charlie!

This recording should be lauded for it's exquisitely clean sound. It's hard to believe a show recorded over 35 years ago sounds so incredibly good. Thank you!

Oh, and the music therein is exquisitely beautiful as well!

this show is fantastic! top grade performance almost flawless sound. the balance is perfect. everyone is crystal clear and the levels are spot on. you have to listen to this show....and listen to it loud! I keep listening to it over and over and picking a new individual to focus on each time because each band member can be heard so clearly.

AMAZING!

This is my favorite dead show. I used to have a nice tape copy of it until it got ate at the beach. how can you download it . All apprec.
ET

This would be it.

Set the Wayback Machine for 5/26/73, Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, CA.

Mr Peabody and I are off....Pack a lunch...it's a marathon.

Thanks again to Mr Miller for taking the time to improve the recording. Every ounce of effort, no matter how minor, is greatly appreciated.

A high flow all-timer!